The present invention relates generally to hand tools, and, more particularly, pertains to a hand tool for manually driving fasteners and having a swivelable and rotatable bit retainer.
The typical screwdriver-type hand tool includes a handle, a shank extending from the handle in axial alignment therewith, and a distal working end. The distal working end can be integral with the shank and formed into a slotted head or a Phillips head, the two most common types of working ends, or the working end can be formed into an integral socket head, and such a fastener-driving tool is commonly referred to as a nutdriver. The working end of a fastener-driving tool can be formed into an integral socket retainer for use with a variety of interchangeable bits.
In many endeavors, such as home remodeling and repair and automotive maintenance, the location of fasteners prevents the user from directly aligning the working end of the tool with the fastener. This impedes the ability of the user to apply a maximum torque to the fastener.
In order to overcome this problem, hand tools have been designed that have working ends displaceable or pivotable away from the longitudinal axis of the shank of the tool.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,182,673 (Magnano) discloses a chuck pivotably attached to spaced-apart ears which project from a screwdriver handle. The chuck pivots between the standard straight position and a right-angled position.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,773,529 (Valenti) discloses a screwdriver having a pivotable tool bit part which allows it to be pivoted to a right angle to the screwdriver shank by the rotation of a clamp member which manually holds the tool bit part in alignment with the shank.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,271,731 (Suligoy et al.) discloses a screwdriver having a pivotable tip or working end and a shank having an inner bore within which a shaft is slidingly positioned for reciprocal movement. Attached to the outer end of the shaft is a pivot member which holds the tip. Sliding the shaft toward the handle maintains the tip in rigid alignment with the shank, and sliding the shaft away from the handle permits the pivot member to pivot at a right angle to the shank axis.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,711,145 (Inoue); 5,042,332 (Nickipuck); and 5,577,426 (Eggert et al.) each teach fastener-driver constructions having an angularly-displaceable component.
Despite the ingenuity of the above-described tools, there remains a need for a tool having a tip or working end that can be manually rotated throughout 360xc2x0 relative to the shank axis, pivoted or swiveled on an axis transverse to the shank axis, and hold its angular displacement during tool use, and yet be quickly and easily returned to its rigid axial alignment.
The present invention comprehends a hand tool for fastener driving and, more particularly, comprehends a ball joint incorporated into the distal end of the shank of a fastener driving hand tool for allowing angular displacement of the bit end or working tip relative to the longitudinal axis of the shank in order to access and manipulate fasteners in otherwise inaccessible locations.
The present invention is a hand tool having a swiveling and rotatable bit retainer or working tip and includes a handle and a projecting shank having a partially threaded distal end which terminates at a ball joint. A cylindrical sleeve having interior threads is disposed on the threaded distal portion of the shank and the sleeve is rotatable for linear reciprocable movement on the shank. The ball joint includes a slot or aperture extending transversely through the ball joint and into which a retaining pin is inserted. Mounted on the slotted ball joint is a tool bit retainer for receiving and holding various types of screwdriver bits or tips. In addition, mounted on the ball joint and projecting into a cavity of the tool bit retaining member is a compression spring that assists in maintaining the angular disposition of the screwdriver bit and the tool bit retainer.
A retaining pin is used to attach the tool bit retainer to the ball joint for allowing angular displacement of the retainer. In order to maintain the rigid, axial alignment of the retainer and the screwdriver bit with the shank and handle, the cylindrical sleeve is rotated on the shank so that it firmly contacts the base of the retainer, and this locks the retainer in alignment with the shank and prevents the tool bit retaining member from angular movement on the ball joint. Angular displacement of the retainer results when the cylindrical sleeve is counter-rotated on the handle, and this rotation releases the retainer for angular displacement with respect to the longitudinal axis of the shank.
An alternative embodiment of the invention includes an improved socket extension for quickly and efficiently locking and releasing a socket thereto. The improved socket extension includes an elongated socket extension member which terminates at a distal end formed into a socket extension head. A T-shaped recess extends within the socket member to the socket extension head, and disposed therein for reciprocable and slidable movement is a T-shaped locking and releasing member. The tip portion of the T-shaped member that travels within the socket member is sloped to allow a locking ball to ride thereupon. The socket extension head has a single aperture located on one of its flat faces and through which the locking ball partially projects for locking a socket to the socket extension head. The T-shaped member is spring-loaded so that moving the T-shaped member toward the handle causes the locking ball to travel slightly inward away from the aperture for releasing the socket from the socket extension head while forward movement of the T-shaped member forces the locking ball outward for partially projecting through the aperture so that the socket can be locked to the socket extension head. The ball joint of this embodiment pivotably attaches the elongated socket extension member to the shank of the hand tool.
It is an objective of the present invention to provide a hand tool for driving fasteners having a rotatable or swivelable working tip for reaching areas inaccessible to a hand tool having a rigid working tip.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a hand tool having a working tip or bit retainer that maintains its angular disposition throughout its period of use in driving a fastener, and can also be quickly selectively locked into axial alignment with the tool""s shank.
Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide an improved socket extension for a fastener-driving hand tool which quickly and efficiently locks and releases sockets to a universal socket head and is capable of pivotable movement about a point on the tool""s longitudinal axis.
These objectives, together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent, reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.